Sichuan Cuisine has a hold on me. There was a time when I wasn’t sure why I wanted to eat Beef slices and bamboo shoots in a spicy, peppercorn broth. But those times are over. I know now that it’s all about the love.

It’s easy to get stuck ordering and eating the same dishes over and over again, but it’s important that you not let that happen. Here’s how you can prevent yourself from falling into the trap that we spring on ourselves.

Chengdu is renowned for its hot pot, but the majority of Chengdu’s hot pot establishments are actually Chongqing imports. The “real deal” Chengdu hot pot was almost eliminated from the streets of the city in the late 1990s, but a few spots remain that still represent the old school Chengdu-style.